Review: Dreamer's Pool by Juliet Marillier

Title: Dreamer's Pool 

Author:  Juliet Marillier
Publisher: Roc

Publishing Date: November 4th 2014

Pages: 448
Genre: Adult Historical Fantasy

Series: Blackthorn and Grim #1
Source: Audio

 

In exchange for help escaping her long and wrongful imprisonment, embittered magical healer Blackthorn has vowed to set aside her bid for vengeance against the man who destroyed all that she once held dear. Followed by a former prison mate, a silent hulk of a man named Grim, she travels north to Dalriada. There she’ll live on the fringe of a mysterious forest, duty bound for seven years to assist anyone who asks for her help.

Oran, crown prince of Dalriada, has waited anxiously for the arrival of his future bride, Lady Flidais. He knows her only from a portrait and sweetly poetic correspondence that have convinced him Flidais is his destined true love. But Oran discovers letters can lie. For although his intended exactly resembles her portrait, her brutality upon arrival proves she is nothing like the sensitive woman of the letters.

With the strategic marriage imminent, Oran sees no way out of his dilemma. Word has spread that Blackthorn possesses a remarkable gift for solving knotty problems, so the prince asks her for help. To save Oran from his treacherous nuptials, Blackthorn and Grim will need all their resources: courage, ingenuity, leaps of deduction, and more than a little magic.

I don't remember how I stumbled onto this treasure but I am sure glad I did.  I came across this book and though hmmm.. interesting and added it to my TBR. I found it on audible a while later, needed and Ireland setting for a reading challenge and grabbed this book. It was really really really awesome. I was so enveloped in this read I just fell in love from the very beginning and didn't want it to end. I loved the characters, I loved the story, I loved the mystery. It was all just so... well awesome.

This story really is the story of a prince who is in a predicament and needs help,. A story about a woman and a man that get help escaping prison, their payment.. to help others whenever its needed. So the woman, Blackthorn, and the man Grim, have to help the Prince, Oran. There is so much more to this story than that, but that's the gist of it. It does contain love, mystery, fights, magic, fae, and lots of other good stuff. Way to much to explain and well its fun to take the journey so I don't want to give anything away. 

I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did. I can say that its one of the best book I have read this year. It was a long book, well longer on audio than I normally do and I thought I would be in trouble. It did take a while to get to the main story. There was lots of build up, but it wasn't slow by any means. The author did a great job giving me time to really get to know the characters before the main story took off and I enjoyed getting to know them. It was  a real steady pace and very interesting from beginning to end.

The characters were by far a great part of me loving this book. Basically three main characters, Blackthorn, Grim, and Prince Oran. The story was told from all three of their POV's.  Blackthorn, I considered the main main character. I felt the story was more hers. How she was healing from her past and really making her new chance at life as she was given. I am pretty sure the series will be different stories but all in Blackthorn and Grim's life of helping others.

She was a great character. Hard on the outside, guarded on the inside, and had a heart that was trying to find its way back to beating. She had it rough, some real damage done t her and real tragedy in her past. The only person she was able to really relate too and care for now was Grim.

Grim, a big oaf of a guy who people tend to this is dumb. But he isn't. He sees things most people miss. He may not be book smart but he is street smart and I just adored him. Sweet as can be. Protective, loyal. A personality much of a family dog but had more smarts than that.

Prince Oran was a great guy, A little on the mushy and sensitive side but had a way with people. Really cared about his kingdom and wanted to do what was best for everyone. Selfless and realistic but also a dreamer and romantic. A hero and friend.

All three characters added so much to the story and had their own unique voices. They were so different and so vivid I felt right at home in their land.

There were bad guys, good guys, helpless and helpful, villains and innocent. There was a whole slew of characters, each bringing something to the overall story. One think I really liked is how ever from the beginning when it wasn't clear, everything that was happening, all the characters, they were pieces to the big puzzle. When it all came together it was beautiful.

The story was good. It had a bit of magic and a bit of love, a bit of friendship and a bit of hope. But really it was lots of tiny stories coming into one big story. I really think that this was the reason it flowed and didn't feel drawn out. Every bit of it was good, no great.

The narrators were awesome. I had a bit of hard time with Grim's narrator because it was a bit more gruff than I imagined and a bit more rougher than I liked. It did grow on me though and I think for sure he was my favorite character, brought to life by the narrator. All the narrators did a wonderful job with the characters. 

It was just stupendous and wonderous and enchanting

Juliet Marillier was born July 27, 1948 in Dunedin, New Zealand and grew up surrounded by Celtic music and stories. Her own Celtic-Gaelic roots inspired her to write her first series, the Sevenwaters Trilogy. Juliet was educated at the University of Otago, where she majored in music and languages, graduating BA and a B Mus (Hons). Her lifelong interest in history, folklore and mythology has had a major influence on her writing.
Juliet is the author of seventeen historical fantasy novels for adults and young adults, as well as a book of short fiction. Juliet's novels and short stories have won many awards.
Juliet lives in a 110 year old cottage in a riverside suburb of Perth, Western Australia. She shares her home with a small pack of waifs and strays - she is a foster carer for an animal rescue group. She has four adult children and seven grandchildren. Juliet is a member of the druid order OBOD (the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.)